Chapter 164: Beautiful Scenery

Guo Jia said, "Compared to the Yellow Heaven of the Taiping Dao, Zhang Lu's Way of the Celestial Master leans more towards the way of ghosts."

Those who go to Zhang Lu seeking the Dao are initially called 'ghost soldiers.' After being completely indoctrinated, they are called 'libationers.' Once they reach the position of libationer, they can lead their followers. The most outstanding among them are called 'chief libationers.'"

Hearing this, Yuan Xi's heart stirred, and he said, "I've heard that the Han court also has the official position of libationer. Is it used for sacrifices?"

Guo Jia nodded slightly, "You guessed right, my lord. In the beginning, the libationer was indeed related to sacrifices."

"In ancient times, during feasts of nobles and officials, the elder would pour wine to sacrifice to the gods, called 'libationer.' Later, it gradually evolved into an official title."

"The 'Gai Yu Cong Kao · Libationer' records that the libationer was not originally an official title. In ancient times, all elders among peers were called libationers."

Seeing Guo Jia so familiar with this, Yuan Xi knew that he was indeed proficient in this area.

He suddenly remembered the official position Cao Cao specially set up for Guo Jia in later generations, called Military Advisor Libationer, and wondered if there was some connection.

Yuan Xi said, "I understand what you mean, sir."

"Striving for a position within the Taiping Dao is a must. Otherwise, I'm afraid my territory will be filled with Cao Cao's spies in the future."

To counter Cao Cao, he could only use magic to defeat magic, which was truly a helpless move.

Guo Jia nodded, "Although Youzhou is desolate now, in another aspect, it is also an advantage."

"If Cao Cao were to act in Yanzhou and Jizhou, where his alchemists and spies are powerful, it would be easy for him to learn about it and retaliate."

"But this place is beyond Cao Cao's reach. You can secretly use the name of the Taiping Dao to set up your own libationer secret agents, spreading heavenly mandate rhetoric that is beneficial to you."

"Anyway, the current Taiping Dao is leaderless, and everyone claims to be the orthodox, but no one is recognized by others."

Yuan Xi thought that this was borrowing a shell to lay eggs, mixing his own private goods into the uneven situation of the Taiping Dao.

Through this method, he could muddy the waters and extend his influence to the entire Zhuo Commandery!

Seeing Yuan Xi's interest, Guo Jia's eyes flashed, "Both the Yellow Turbans and the Way of the Celestial Master require honesty and no deceit. People who are sick must reflect on their own mistakes. The Way of the Celestial Master also has free lodging, which is similar to your free schools and free land. With a little modification, we can set up the layout."

"Do you have anything else you want to add, my lord?"

Yuan Xi pondered for a moment, "For example, good rewards for mutual help among neighbors, and retribution for trafficking in people?"

"Oh right, this thing can't overshadow the main point. We still need criminal law to punish criminals, which is the best policy."

Guo Jia's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was filled with surprise.

Doctrines are more likely to win people's hearts than criminal laws, but because of this, it is easy for the lord to lose his original intention and thus ignore that the foundation of governance is criminal law.

Otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse, and the power of the monarch would be controlled by the power of the church, which is the way to disaster.

And Yuan Xi was able to wake up from the temptation so quickly, which was really rare.

In the present day, when the gentry generally deeply believe in apocryphal texts, what does Yuan Xi believe in?

Guo Jia became more and more curious.

Seeing that he had said almost everything, Yuan Xi bowed and said, "Sir, you are proficient in this way. I will allocate officials and personnel to you, and I ask you to be fully in charge of this matter."

Guo Jia sighed, "Am I not making a cocoon and trapping myself?"

"Can't you just hand over such a troublesome thing to someone else?"

Yuan Xi scratched his head, "Add another concubine and a pot of wine?"

"Deal."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Yuan Xi never thought that one day, he would have to make rumors as an important career, but in the current situation, it is the most effective method.

It is difficult to find even one literate person out of a hundred people. In addition, there are years of war and starvation, and most of the gentry are forced to farm themselves. Ordinary people have no possibility of reading.

In this environment, even if free schools are established, it will only be after the world is peaceful and there is enough food and clothing that the number of people who read will increase greatly.

Therefore, for ordinary people who are illiterate and hold the most simple wishes, nursery rhymes and prophecies passed down by word of mouth are much faster than the knowledge spread by the gentry.

This is the limitation and helplessness of the times. If you want to change it, you can only take one step at a time, slowly opening up the people's wisdom, instead of trying to get fat with one bite.

The social system needs long-term accumulation to produce qualitative changes. Before that, we can only make up for all the shortcomings little by little and accumulate strength.

Not to mention that the current productivity has not reached it, even if the productivity has reached it, the backward era plus the powerful system, if it is in the hands of a few people, the people will instead put on a more solid and terrible shackle.

This is also why the exploitation of workers in the early days of capitalism was far greater than that of plantation slaves.

Faced with the people who are still in the period of ignorance, imposing the so-called advanced polity on them is like an industrial revolution of the social system, but in fact the core is still the set of slavery, Yuan Xi will not engage in it.

He is just an ordinary person, what he wants to do is to let as many people as possible have the power to change their destiny.

Knowledge.

Throughout his life, he would be content to open up a small path.

Guo Jia didn't know what Yuan Xi was thinking at this time, and Yuan Xi wouldn't completely reveal his thoughts to Guo Jia now, after all, these ideas are too ahead of the times.

The two discussed the matter of sending troops in detail again, until they could not find any major flaws, they stopped, and then they realized that after talking for half a day, it was almost dark.

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work today, sir. After that, it is up to fate to do our best."

"Let's not talk about Youzhou, but I hope there will be no big problems in the south. Now that Xuzhou is being attacked, I hope at least Duke Xuande can hold it for half a year."

Guo Jia sneered, "You don't need to hide it from me, my lord. Xuzhou is being attacked, how could you not have other plans?"

"In this world, no one does good deeds for nothing. There's no shame in saying what you want."

Yuan Xi was taken aback, forcing a smile. "I can't hide anything from you, sir."

"If Xuande can't hold it, Xuzhou can't fall into the hands of others."

Guo Jia picked up the wine pot and took a hearty gulp, his face brimming with satisfaction.

This lord, who had yet to completely win him over, possessed both benevolence and calculation, unbound by convention. He was destined to be a figure who would stir up the world.

Guo Jia was right. From the very beginning, Yuan Xi had his eyes on Xuzhou.

Although this place was a land contested on all sides and difficult to defend, it was actually of utmost importance. In Yuan Xi's calculations, it was safest to have it in his own hands.

Now, with Ji Province focused on attacking Yijing in the north, they had no time to help defend Xuzhou. Liu Bei had to hold out on his own, a situation Yuan Xi had intentionally or unintentionally created.

If Liu Bei could defend it, then naturally he would have earned it through his own ability, and Yuan Xi would have nothing to say. But if Liu Bei couldn't hold it, then there would be much to discuss.

Yuan Xi asked Guo Jia if he wanted to eat together, but Guo Jia declined, saying he was going to choose concubines.

Yuan Xi watched Guo Jia skip away, thinking that everyone had their own kind of happiness.

With two concubines accompanying him tonight, Guo Jia probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed tomorrow, right?

Yuan Xi was somewhat worried. In his previous life, Guo Jia might have died young because of his indulgence in wine and women. Was he repeating the same mistake now?

But without fine wine and beautiful women, Guo Jia seemed truly to have no will to live.

Oh well, to each their own.

Beixin City began to mobilize in full swing. The people in the city knew that another war was coming, and they busied themselves.

Many of the conscripted laborers transporting grain were extremely eager, because although it was dangerous, it could offset some of the taxes and corvée labor, which was very tempting to many commoners.

In this atmosphere, Sun Li's wife gave birth to a big, healthy son.

Yuan Xi, Zhao Yun, Qu Yi, and others who were close to Sun Li sent congratulatory gifts. Lady Ma saw her daughter-in-law holding the swaddled baby, her face full of joy, and sighed in her heart.

Zheng Shi had no idea what this meant.

From now on, Sun Li would be one of Yuan Xi's most core devoted retainers.

This meant that Sun Li would have to be ready to die for Yuan Xi at any time.

Of course, in return, if a devoted retainer died, his wife would be supported by the lord, and his children would have the opportunity to study and enter officialdom.

Sun Li noticed that Lady Ma's attitude towards him had improved a lot these past few days. She would call him to eat together whenever something happened, which annoyed him to no end.

He secretly said to Qu Yi, "Do you think my mother has something on her mind? She doesn't scold me anymore, and she even picks food for me during dinner, constantly telling me to take care of my health."

"My mother is so abnormal. Do you think she wants to remarry?"

Qu Yi listened and slapped Sun Li on the head, making him stumble. "You dog, why do you talk so much nonsense?"

"My mother died a long time ago. You should be content that your mother is alive. Get out of here."

Sun Li was kicked away by Qu Yi. By the time he got up, Qu Yi had already left with a wine pot, not knowing who he was going to drink with.

He thought, why is Qu Yi so angry?

He didn't know that on a small building in the distance, Yuan Xi and Wu Zhao were peeking out, watching the whole thing as a joke.

Wu Zhao felt Yuan Xi's hand getting restless again. Her face turned red, and just as she was about to speak, a gust of wind blew, causing the small building to creak and sway precariously. She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she quickly grabbed Yuan Xi to steady herself.

Yuan Xi hissed in pain, and Wu Zhao's face turned even redder.

It was no wonder she was afraid. This small building was simply thrown together and not sturdy at all.

Yuan Xi had seen similar structures in the Mi and Zhen families and thought that high buildings were very convenient. When he returned to Beixin City, he had craftsmen build one, saying that it could be used to overlook the enemy's movements.

At the time, Yuan Xi was unwilling to spend too much manpower and resources, so he only had people dig deep pits in the corner of the courtyard, use trees as piles, and build a three-story pavilion. The bottom two floors were supported by tree trunks, and the top was a small wooden house, which required climbing a wooden ladder to reach.

The scenery was indeed very good on top, but because it was crudely made, it often swayed violently when the wind blew, and it didn't serve any purpose in overlooking the enemy's movements.

Beixin City was guarded by city walls and arrow towers on all sides. How high could a small building in the city have a view?

From then on, the small building became Yuan Xi's private use. When he had nothing to do, he would climb up to the pavilion and peek at the situation in the mansion.

Sun Li being beaten up by Lady Ma, Guo Jia and his concubines flirting in front of the window, Qu Yi and Zhao Yun practicing together – Yuan Xi enjoyed watching them all.

Of course, he would also occasionally bring Wu Zhao or Cao Xian up there. When there was no wind, the small building would often shake violently.

Another evening breeze blew, and Wu Zhao's heart pounded with fear. The thing she was holding onto was getting restless again.

Her face was flushed, and she thought to herself that she didn't know how this young master came up with all these tricks. He must not have been a good person in his previous life!

At this time, Yuan Xi began to hum softly.

"I've felt the same evening breeze you've felt, so does that mean we're embracing?"

Wu Zhao knew that Yuan Xi often sang tunes that were very different from the rhythms of the time. Now, this tune was melodious and moving, and she couldn't help but be captivated.

As she listened, she couldn't help but forget the troubles of the world and gently leaned into Yuan Xi's arms.

She suddenly realized that the lyrics were obviously unrelated to her. Wasn't she already embracing him?

Was Yuan Xi thinking of Zhen Mi at this time?

She exerted a little force, and Yuan Xi cried out in pain again, quickly saying, "You are all my wings."